1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns designing a room on a browser connected to a remote system through, for example, the World Wide Web or another network connection. In particular, the invention concerns interactively designing a room by specifying attributes for the room, interactively specifying and manipulating plural images of furnishing such as furniture in simplified form in a perspective view of the room, and then rendering a perspective view of the furnishings in the room using photorealistic images acquired from the remote system.
2. Description of the Art
Online commerce is rapidly becoming an important part of the World Wide Web. Users can connect to the web using web browsers, view photorealistic images of desired products on their browsers, and then order those products. Web sites now exist where users can view and purchase furnishings for a room, for example furniture, rugs, draperies, wall paper and the like. These web sites allow a user to view photorealistic images of prearranged settings that include the furnishings.
Conventionally, users can specify properties for a group of the furnishing in one of these settings, for example an appearance (e.g., color) of materials used for furniture in the setting. The photorealistic image of the setting can then be updated based on the specified properties.
However, conventional web sites do not permit users to add user-specified furnishings to one of these settings and then to view a photorealistic perspective image of the setting with the added furnishings. For example, conventional web sites do not allow users to add a chair or a couch to a setting in order to see how the chair or couch looks in a photorealistic perspective rendering of the setting. Conventional web sites also do not allow users to move individual furnishings independently around in a perspective view of a setting. Furthermore, conventional web sites do not allow users to specify independent properties for individual furnishings.
Thus, at conventional web sites, users cannot view a photorealistic image of a room designed to include a desired set of furnishings, with each furnishing having an individually specified position and orientation and individually specified properties. As a result, users cannot experiment with how their own combinations of furnishings will look, but rather are limited to viewing predefined combinations of furnishings in predefined settings. For example, users cannot see how any one given furnishing will work with their own previously acquired furnishings in a particular room setting.
Because of the foregoing deficiencies, users tend not to purchase furniture and other furnishings online. Rather, they tend to insist on actually seeing the furnishings in, for example, a showroom of a traditional xe2x80x9cbrick and mortarxe2x80x9d store. As a result, online sales of furnishings, and in particular of furniture, have not realized their full potential.
An object of the invention is to allow a user to design a room, and in particular to specify furnishings for the room, using a web browser connected to a remote system. Another object of the invention is to allow the user to design the room even if the user is connected to the remote system across a relatively slow connection (e.g., a modem-based connection across the World Wide Web).
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention allows a user to interactively and independently manipulate simplified images of furnishings in a perspective view of a room displayed by a browser. An example of the simplified images are wire frame images. Preferably, the user also can specify independent properties for the furnishings in the room. When the user is satisfied with the arrangement and properties of the furnishings, the user can have the room rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings.
By virtue of the invention, the user can design a room that includes many different types and style of furnishings in a vast array of arrangements. Because the furnishings can be independently specified and manipulated, the user has great flexibility in designing the room. Thus, the user can see how selected furnishings will work together in a real-world setting, increasing the possibility that the user will purchase the modeled furnishings online.
In addition, the simplified images of the furnishings can be manipulated as soon as the simplified images are obtained by the browser. As a result, the user can manipulate the simplified images without having to wait for substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings to be obtained by the browser. Obtaining such substantially photorealistic perspective images can take a significant amount of time. Thus, this invention allows the user more rapidly to begin to manipulate images of the furnishings. As a result, the user""s viewing experience is improved, thereby further increasing the possibility that the user will purchase the modeled furnishings online.
Furthermore, because the images are provided by the remote site, the invention allows the user to view arrangements of currently available real-world furnishings in a perspective view of a room. As a result, the party operating the remote site can ensure that any modeled furnishings are available for purchase.
Preferably, the substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings are obtained by the browser while the user manipulates the simplified images and specifies properties for the furnishings. Thus, the user need not wait for all of the substantially photorealistic perspective images to be obtained in order to have the room rendered. The amount of time spent by the user waiting for images to be obtained is therefore reduced, further improving the user""s viewing experience.
Accordingly, one preferred embodiment of the invention is a method for designing a room using a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. A perspective view of the room is displayed. Specification is accepted of individual furnishings to be added to the room. Simplified images of the individual furnishings are displayed in the perspective view of the room. Independent manipulation of the simplified images of the individual furnishings is accepted and displayed in the perspective view of the room. In this context, the term xe2x80x9cindependentxe2x80x9d means independent of manipulation of other furnishings in the room. The room is rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system, and the room is rendered in accordance with the independent manipulation of the simplified images so as to present corresponding perspective views of the individual furnishings.
The furnishings according to the invention can include furniture. The furnishings also can include room accessories other than furniture, for example rugs, draperies, wall paper and the like.
Preferably, at least part of the substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system while the simplified images are being independently manipulated. Furthermore, accepting and displaying independent manipulation of the simplified images preferably involves accepting and displaying independent position changes for the simplified images in the perspective view of the room, as well as accepting and displaying independent orientation changes for the simplified images in the perspective view of the room. Preferably, accepting and displaying manipulation of the simplified images also involves scaling the simplified image within the perspective view of the room in accordance with the position changes.
By virtue of the foregoing operations, the invention allows a user to design a room that includes many different types and style of furnishings in a vast array of arrangements and to view a photorealistic perspective view of the room including the furnishings.
In the preferred embodiment, independent properties are accepted and displayed for the individual furnishings. In this context, the term xe2x80x9cindependentxe2x80x9d means that the properties do not have to be related to properties for other furnishings in the room. Preferably, the simplified images are displayed also in accordance with the specification of independent properties. Likewise, when the room is rendered, the room preferably is rendered with photorealistic perspective images also in accordance with the specification of independent properties. Examples of properties that can be specified include, but are not limited to, a manufacturer for the furnishings, a style for the furnishings, a color scheme for the furnishings, or a material used in the furnishings. At least part of the substantially photorealistic perspective images preferably are obtained from the remote system while the independent properties are being specified.
By virtue of these operations, the invention allows a user to combine many different types of furnishings with many different properties in a designed room. Thus, when the room is rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images, the user can see how the different types of furnishings appear together.
Preferably, specification of a recommended group of furnishings also is accepted. When a recommended group of furnishings has been specified, the step of accepting and displaying independent manipulation of the simplified images also accepts and displays independent manipulation of the simplified images of the furnishings included in the recommended group. Likewise, the step of rendering the room also renders the room with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings included in the recommended group. Independent properties also are accepted and displayed for individually specified furnishings and for the furnishings in the recommended group. When the room is rendered, the room is rendered with photorealistic perspective images also in accordance with the specification of independent properties.
By virtue of these operations, the invention allows a user to start with a recommended group of furnishings. Then, the user can independently manipulate and change the properties of the furnishings in the recommended group to suit the user""s own needs and tastes.
The preferred embodiment also accepts and displays specification of attributes for the room, for example a size of the room. When the perspective view of the room is displayed, the view is displayed in accordance with the specification of attributes for the room.
These operations allow a user to tailor the setting for the furnishings to reflect a particular room that the user desires to design.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of providing images and code for designing a room to a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. According to the method, rotatable and scalable substantially photorealistic perspective images of different types of furnishings are generated. The substantially photorealistic perspective images for each different type of furnishing differ according to properties for that type of furnishing. Rotatable and scalable simplified images of the different types of furnishings also are generated. The substantially photorealistic perspective images and the simplified images are placed on the remote system for access by the browser. Also placed on the remote system is code for enabling the browser to design a room using the simplified images and the substantially photorealistic perspective images. The images and code are provided from the remote system to the browser responsive to requests from the browser.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a method for designing a room using a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. According to the method, a user specifies individual furnishings to be displayed in a perspective view of the room. The user independently manipulates simplified images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The user also preferably specifies independent properties for the individual furnishing. When the user is satisfied with the arrangement and properties for the furnishings, the user instructs the browser to render the room with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is code which enables a user to design a room using a browser as set forth above.
Of course, speed is not always a consideration for a user. In addition, other solutions to enhancing speed of a room designer may be developed. Thus, in another aspect the invention is a room designer that allows a user to interactively and independently manipulate any types of images, for example photorealistic images, of furnishings in a perspective view of a room displayed by a browser. Embodiments of this aspect of the invention include a method and code that allow a user to so design a room using a browser.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention may be obtained by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings.